Travel Theme: Mountains

This photo has a bit of a bittersweet story behind it:

ISO 100 135mm 0ev f/6.3 1/250

It’s the Canadian Rockies as seen from a train.  We were on a lovely trip from Toronto to Vancouver on the train.  This was one of the last photos I got before my camera broke.  I am sure you can imagine that I was quite upset.  Two of the prongs (wrong word I am sure) were bent and the memory card would no longer work in the camera.  I spent the rest of the trip using my point and shoot camera.  Here is the point when you would be right to note that I am lucky enough to have both a point and shoot and a DSLR.  Also, I was able to get my Canon 50D fixed.  So, I’ll concede it wasn’t a total disaster.  But still.

The Canadian Rockies are beautiful and so this is my entry for this week at Where’s my backpack?

Cheers!

Travel Theme: Soft

I didn’t have to travel any further than my backyard for this week’s theme from Where’s my backpack?

ISO 160 50mm 0ev f/18 60s

This is a long exposure of the soft morning light.

Also, I just wanted to say thanks to all Veterans.  I remember.

Cheers!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Happy

ISO 100 f/20 1/8 28mm

I was happy to a) be outside on a beautiful day and b) have my camera with me so this photo is my response to the WordPress weekly photo challenge.

Cheers!

Same Harris Hawk, Different Day

It all started with this post when I first wrote about this Harris Hawk and asked for your opinion on how you would have handled it if you were the photographer.  I got some interesting feedback, and I have tried most of the suggestions, with the exception of this,  “I might try an unorthodox approach of treating a relatively still subject like it was in motion: ISO 400, 1/400 – 1/500 @ f/4.5 – f/4.”  An interesting idea considering the bird is pretty still as birds go. The author of the suggestion writes, Modes of Flight Blog, which covers many types of photography so check it out if you are interested.  So I went this morning to give it a try.

Didn’t work, and I’ll tell you why.  The 50mm lens I sometimes borrow, is in the camera bag of its actual owner.  Without that, I really don’t have a lens that can  handle the shutter speed/f-stop combination that had been suggested.  So, I will have to try again when I have the 50mm lens on me.  Here is what worked out today:

ISO 320 105mm f/5.6 1/30

This was my best overall color and clarity of feathers shot.

ISO 160 135mm f/5.6 1/6

And this was the best in terms of an interesting bird shot. Both photos were taken using a tripod and have been cropped and sharpened.

I will go back to reshoot at some point.

Cheers!

 

Technologically (Un)Able

Duh, say those of you who read this and know me personally, we know you are.  But just to prove to the rest of you that I may be living in the wrong century I present this photo:

ISO 1600 12.2mm f/5 1/20

Why yes, that is a post-it-note stuck to my phone.  My phone that has a calendar on it, part of the reason that I bought the phone in the first place.  So, of course there is my calendar reminder, stuck to the phone.

Sigh, it gets worse.

I took a picture then later went to download the picture to my computer.  I plugged in the phone to do that. Um, it’s a picture of the phone not on the phone.

Pretty much no hope for me people 🙂

Having a nice weekend anyway, hope you are too.

Cheers!

When all else fails, check the blog

In this case I am not talking about checking the blog to avoid cleaning the house or doing the laundry.  I’m saying that one of the reasons I started this blog was to keep track of what settings I have tried in my camera, what worked, and what I should try next.  Part of the thinking was that I am not good at remembering numbers, so I’ll just consult my own blog, then go set up the camera. Brilliant!

So, this morning I stumble outside, set up the camera, come back in, start morning tea,deal with offspring, take a few pictures, turn on computer, check blog, see that the settings I used this morning, I have used like a million other times, sigh.  Sometimes, I am  tempted to brew the tea a bit stronger, maybe that would help.

I am posting this picture in part because I love these shades of the color of blue.  Not a great picture of the bird, but a pretty good blue.  Also, a gentle reminder to self, try something different tomorrow:

ISO 400 60mm f4.5 1/125

Cheers!

The Beauty Problem

I started this blog in part to keep track of what I am shooting and what settings I have used so that I would have a reference when I can’t remember what settings I used last week.  Then I started with the birds.  I figured, I’ll go out and shoot them everyday, messing with my settings and I’ll get it all figured out.  Problem solved right?

Ha, yeah, sure.  Insert the beauty problem.  Here is my best bird picture of the morning:

ISO 100 135mm f/5.6 1/15

Wow, that bird looks a lot like a hosta you are thinking. Or, wow, what an idiot, she doesn’t know her birds from her plants.  So, this hosta presents a whole host of other setting issues.  I should stick with just one subject matter, but it is hard with so much beauty to shoot.

Oh, and then there is beauty problem part 2; The beauty I miss:

ISO 400 56mm f/4.5 1/125

See that water drop on the outside of the plant in this cropped photo?  Well I didn’t until I had it on my computer.  That would have made an interesting close-up, had I not missed it.

Cheers!

Thou Shalt Listen When the Camera Speaks

ISO 250 85mm f/5.6 1/20

Or, not.  So, I didn’t in this case, I set to 1/20 and even though 5.6 was blinking, I left it like that.  It is a bit dark, but I kind of like the color.  I like that the bird’s face is still but the rest of the bird isn’t.  Do you find the tree branch distracting?  I can’t decide.  Maybe for tomorrow’s settings, I’ll listen to the camera.

Cheers!